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How To: Install Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Pickups on a Fender Stratocaster

December 5, 2011;

The Fender Custom Shop
Texas
Special Pickups may not look much different than standard Fender Stratocaster pickups, but your
ears will tell a completely different story. The Texas Special Pickups are a great, affordable way
to immediately upgrade your Stratocaster without having the purchase a completely new Fender
guitar.

Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Pickups create a perfect treble/bass balance of high, mid,
and low tones, and are the preferred pickups of bluesy rock, jazz, and country guitarists
everywhere. The sound is punchy with high-output. Texas Special Pickups are standard
equipment on premium instruments like the Steve Ray Vaughan Strat and other high end models.
Treat your Fender Stratocaster to a trio of Custom Shop Texas Special Pickups; it’ll thank you
later.

1. Remove the strings one at a time, starting with the thin, high E string and working your
way up to the thicker, low E string. Along with making access to the pickups and scratchplate
easier, this eases tension on the Strat’s neck and prevents a potential electric shock.

2. Use the Phillips “1” screwdriver to unscrew the scratchplate.

3. Use the 25W soldering iron to carefully and quickly unsolder the jack socket, pickup
selector connections, and tremolo ground wire on the pickup end. Doing this quickly protects the
control pots from heat damage.

4. Separate the pickup wiring loom with the craft knife, and label each of the wires
appropriately to remind you where each wire needs to be re-connected in the Fender Stratocaster
electric system.

5. Using the screwdriver, carefully remove the old pickups from the scratchplate and replace
them with the Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Pickups. Be sure the soft latex washers are
correctly positioned on each screw under the scratchplate.

6. Wrap the Texas Special Pickup wires into a clean loom and trim them to the required length
to reach the connection pots.

7. Holding the three black common ground wires in place with a heat-insulation tool (popsicle
sticks work well), solder the wires to the back of the volume pot.*

*Note: a properly sealed solder will look shiny and bright.

8. Take the white wires and solder them to their corresponding pickup selector positions,
using masking tape to bind their looms together in one place.

9. Reattach the jack socket wire and tremolo ground wire, and screw the reassembled
scratchplate back in place under the Fender Stratocaster’s bridge.

10. Plug your Stratocaster in and enjoy the instantly upgraded sound from your new Fender
Custom Shop Texas Special Pickups!

Note on your Fender Warranty: Although Fender has a limited lifetime
warranty on its electric instruments, the electrical components are only warranted for a period of
1 year from the date of purchase. Provided that you install your new pickups correctly (or
have them installed by a Fender authorized Service Center) your new pickups are also warranted by
Fender for a year from date of purchase. If you don’t feel comfortable installing your own
pickups, contact us at
1-800-472-6274 and we will arrange for one of our Fender Authorized Technicians in
NY or FL to do the work for you for our standard fees.